Father identified in chase, crash that left 3-year-old burning inside truck along I-85

ANDERSON COUNTY, SC — A man accused of leading deputies on a chase that ended in a crash was identified by police.

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Georgia State Patrol was contacted by Anderson County Sheriff’s Office of a kidnapping suspect in a Gold 2001 Ford F-150 traveling south on Interstate 85 in South Carolina.

Investigators learned that the driver, Joshua Bennett Dornellas, 32, of Anderson, S.C. had his 3-year-old son in the front seat and threatened to kill him.

This stems from an incident earlier on Wednesday morning, when Anderson County was called to a home along Harris Avenue in Belton, S.C.

The sheriff’s office said Dornellas violently assaulted the mother of his child before kidnapping his son.

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As Dornellas drove into Georgia, Hart County deputies tried to stop him and a chase began.

GSP took over the chase on I-85 southbound at mile marker 172. As the chase approached mile marker 165, several troopers tried to box in Dornellas but were unsuccessful.

According to GSP, as the inside of the car began to fill with smoke from a fire intentionally set by Dornellas, he jumped out of the driver’s window while traveling at 55 mph.

The car hit an embankment and went up in flames with the 3-year-old still inside, according to authorities. GSP said the 3-year-old child was on the floorboard of the driver’s side with severe burns.

He was quickly flown to Augusta Burn Center in critical condition.

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Dornellas was arrested and taken to Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center for the injuries he sustained.

He faces a laundry list of charges, which has not yet been released.

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